8 Steps To Keep Breast Cancer Out of Your Future

8 Steps To Keep Breast Cancer Out of Your Future

12 Mar 2018 | 5 min Read

Surbhi Prapanna

Author | 13 Articles

 

Being a mom is not easy. Motherhood has twenty-four hours a day, seven days in a week responsibility. These constant responsibilities put a pressure on our mental and physical health. As mothers, we tend to neglect our health unconsciously.

 

Sometimes we feel discouraged with the  daily responsibilities of a job that seems to never end. Sometimes, we have pain, aches and headaches, but we did not put enough attention to them. Very often we know all the essential steps to taking care of ourselves, but we wouldn’t be able to follow them. It is something that  so hard to do at times and yet so vital.

 

But this time, there should be “no excuse”. It is the time to be aware; make a promise to you to take care of yourselves. I know definitely it is not as easy as sound. But it is an essential to know the Persil of this dreaded disease. Because we all know, proper education and early detection are the prerequisites that can save so many lives.

 

Whenever we talk about the awareness, the first thing that comes to mind is usually the “prevention”. As we all know, “Prevention is always better than cure”. There are many factors over the course of a lifetime that can influence the breast cancer risk. Of course, some factors cannot be changed (such as family history) but there are many ways that can lower the risk of developing breast cancer.

 

Here I am sharing 8 simple steps that can play a vital role in the prevention of breast cancer.

 

 

Understand the disease and being aware of known risk and protective factors

 

The first step of prevention definitely requires understanding the disease and its risk and protective factors. Breast cancer is a disease where malignant cells form in the tissue of the breast. Unfortunately, it is the second most common cause of death for women across the globe.

 

We should always try to increase the protective factors such as adopt a healthy lifestyle, maintain an ideal body weight, stress management and decrease the risk factors such as quit smoking and limit the alcohol. These tiny steps may play a vital role in the prevention of breast cancer.

 

 

Adopt a healthy lifestyle

 

Eat a healthy and balanced diet and exercise regularly is the basic key for a healthy body. A healthy diet can lower the risk of breast cancer. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains not only keep our immune system healthy, but they also play a vital role in the prevention of breast cancer as well. Along with healthy diet, regular exercise and be physically active is the must for a healthy body. Scientific studies have suggested women who are physically active at least 30 minutes a day have lower chances of developing breast cancer.

 

 

Maintain an ideal body weight

Of course, maintaining an ideal body weight is not always easy. But it should be an important goal for everyone. Being overweight increases the risk of different diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, hypertension…and breast cancer. So, do not forget to keep a watch on your body weight.

 

 

Limit alcohol and quit smoking

 

Alcohol consumption increases the risk of developing breast cancer. CDC (Centers for Disease control and prevention) strongly recommended do not drink alcohol or limit alcohol drink not more than one per day for reducing the risk of breast cancer. Not only alcohol consumption, but there is a link between smoking and breast cancer. Quit smoking is the best thing which we can do to improve our overall health.

 

Breastfeeding

 

Definitely, breastfeeding is the most amazing and empowering experience for women when they start their motherhood journey. And the best part is that it might play a vital role in the prevention of breast cancer. It also has great health benefits for the child.

 

 

Limit the exposure of radiation

 

Some scientific studies suggest that harmful radiation can cause DNA mutation in cells. We live in a high-tech world. So we cannot entirely avoid the radiation. But we can reduce the exposure by having high radiation tests only when they are absolutely necessary. We should also set strict time out for the kids when they are using the electronic gadgets to limit the exposure of radiation.

 

 

Limit the dose and duration of hormonal therapy

 

Combination hormone therapy is recommended by the doctors to relieve the common symptoms of menopause. But unfortunately prolonged use of this therapy associated with the increased risk of breast cancer. It is best to talk with your doctors about the risk and find out if it is right for you.

 

 

Do not forget regular screening

 

Even though screening does not help prevent breast cancer directly, but it can help in early detection of the disease and early detection is the must for better treatment. It increases the chances of survival and may increase the life expectancy. So moms, talk to your doctor about which breast screening is right for you and when you should have them?

 

 

Apart from these basic preventive measures the last but not the least important thing; find out your family history. If there is a previous family history of breast cancer or any kind of cancer in your family (including both mom and dad) then be extra careful. Genetic testing can be used for women who are at high risk, and it may play a great role in prevention of disease.

 

So these were the simplest things that we can do to keep away this dreading disease from our future. Did you try any other strategies to keep you and your family healthy, please share with us?

  

#womenshealth #breastcancer

A

gallery
send-btn

Related Topics for you

Suggestions offered by doctors on BabyChakra are of advisory nature i.e., for educational and informational purposes only. Content posted on, created for, or compiled by BabyChakra is not intended or designed to replace your doctor's independent judgment about any symptom, condition, or the appropriateness or risks of a procedure or treatment for a given person.